Multiple suture retainer

ABSTRACT

A resilient filament retaining package includes a plurality of panel members foldably connected to each other along transverse sides thereof and arranged to fold upon each other to form a plurality of superposed compartments defined between pairs of adjacent panel members. Each compartment is dimensioned to contain at least one flexible resilient filament portion therein in a coiled configuration. Receiving port apertures are provided in the forward panel member of each compartment and are intended to assist in loading individual filament portions in each compartment. The apertures are in general concentric alignment with each other such that each compartment may be accessed for loading purposes from a front side of the folded retainer package. A backing panel having a needle securing park may be attached to the folded package. A method for loading the package is also disclosed. The package can be particularly useful for retaining surgical sutures.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/120,201, filed on Sep.13, 1993.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a new and useful retainer package for resilientfilaments and more particularly to a package for retaining at least oneresilient surgical suture in a manner for ready removal.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many surgical sutures possess certain mechanical characteristics such asstiffness and a tendency to be wirelike and resilient. In the past, suchsutures have been retained in packages having interconnected panelmembers. Typically, the suture is wound in a figure-eight or coiledconfiguration about winding projections which extend through aperturesformed in one of the panels of the package. The remaining panels of thepackage are then folded onto the suture to enclose the suture within thepackage. A disadvantage with these methods is that the sutures can bedamaged during loading and/or storage. In the figure-eightconfiguration, for example, kinking and wearing can occur where thesutures cross over. When using winding projections, for example, thesutures can be damaged by stress when being wound.

The aforedescribed packages for retaining a surgical suture have alsofailed to take advantage of the resilient qualities of certain suturematerials to aid in the loading of the package. In particular, it hasbeen found that a surgical suture having resilient characteristics suchas catgut or some of the synthetic suture products includingpolypropylene and polyester may be inserted or fed into an opening inthe package in a manner such that during insertion the suture naturallyassumes a coiled configuration within the package.

Accordingly, there is a need for suture retainers which reduce orprevent damage to sutures during loading and/or storage. There is also aneed for suture retainers with internal cavities or retaining areas,which do not necessitate the utilization of winding projections aroundwhich sutures must be wound to be loaded. There is also a need forsuture retainers which are adapted to store sutures in a configurationwhich avoids or reduces cross-over points. It is also desirable toprovide a package which is substantially fully assembled prior toloading. There is also a need for filament packaging capable of storingand maintaining filaments in some form of spaced relation to each otherso that access and removal of the filaments may be readily availablewithout adversely affecting the filament.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a retainer package for storing aplurality of resilient filaments, i.e., surgical sutures. The packagecomprises a plurality of panel members foldably connected to each otheralong transverse sides thereof. The panel members are arranged to foldupon each other to form a plurality of superposed compartments definedbetween pairs of adjacent panel members. Each compartment is dimensionedto contain at least one flexible resilient filament portion therein in acoiled configuration. The package further comprises receiving port meansassociated with each compartment for loading at least one coiledflexible resilient filament in each compartment.

In a preferred embodiment, the package is adapted to retain surgicalsutures. The suture receiving port means comprises an aperture formed ina forward panel member of each suture compartment. Preferably, thesuture loading apertures of each suture compartment are in generalconcentric alignment with each other such that each suture compartmentmay be accessed for suture loading purposes from a front side of theretainer package when the panel members are in their folded condition.It is further preferable that the suture loading apertures of the suturecompartments incrementally decrease in diameter from a front most suturecompartment to a rear most suture compartment to facilitate access tothe compartments.

The retainer package of the present invention can further comprise abacking panel which may be secured to the rear panel member of therearmost suture compartment. If armed sutures are being loaded, thebacking panel can comprise means for securing surgical needles attachedto the individual suture portions. A preferred needle securing meanscomprises portions cut out and lifted from the plane defined by thebacking panel. Respective pluralities of cut portions can be dimensionedand positioned to engage respective portions of the suture needles toreleasably secure the needles in respective fixed positions. In analternative embodiment, the needle securing means comprises a foam parkhaving slits configured and dimensioned to accommodate the needles.

A needle protecting panel member foldably attached to an upper edge ofthe backing panel can also be provided. The needle protecting panel canbe adapted to fold onto the needles secured within the needle securingmeans and can include a tab member at an upper edge thereof, which isengagable with an upper edge of one of suture panel members to retainthe needle protecting panel in a folded condition.

The suture retainer can further comprise an aperture panel memberattached to one of the suture panels and adapted to fold onto the foldedsuture panels to at least partially cover the suture loading aperturesof each suture compartment.

The present invention is also directed to a method for loading surgicalsutures into a retainer package, comprising the steps of providing aplurality of suture panel members foldably connected to each other alongtransverse sides thereof and arranged to fold upon each other to form aplurality of superposed suture compartments defined between pairs ofadjacent panel members, folding the suture panel members to form theplurality of superposed suture compartments, introducing at least onesuture portion into an aperture formed in a forward panel member of asuture compartment and feeding the suture portion into the suturecompartment to load the suture portion. If multiple sutures are to beloaded, i.e., one in each suture compartment, at least a portion of thesutures can be individually positioned into their respectivecompartments utilizing their respective loading apertures. Subsequent topositioning, the sutures can be individually or simultaneously caused toassume a coiled configuration in their respective compartments byforcing the sutures into the retainer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described hereinbelowwith reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the suture retainer package constructedaccording with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank sheet of the retainer package of FIG. 1defining a plurality of panel members foldably connected to each other;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the backing panel of the package of FIG. 1illustrating needle holding tabs for securing needles;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blank sheet of FIG. 2 illustrating asequence of folding the panel members to form individual suturecompartments;

FIGS. 5-6 illustrate a sequence of steps for loading resilient suturesinto the individual suture compartments;

FIG. 7 is a frontal plan view of the retainer package of FIG. 1illustrating a secured position of the needle protecting flap andaperture cover panel of the retainer package;

FIG. 8 is a rear plan view of the retainer package of FIG. 1illustrating locking engagement of respective slots and tabs of thefully folded blank sheet and the backing panel to secure the foldedblank sheet to the backing panel;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 9--9 of FIG. 7illustrating the individual sutures stored within the suturecompartments;

FIG. 10 is a frontal plan view of an alternative embodiment of thesuture retainer package of FIG. 1 including a backing panel memberhaving a foam park for retaining the needles;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 11--11 of FIG.10 illustrating retention of the needles within the foam park;

FIG. 12 is a frontal plan view of another alternative embodiment of thesuture retainer package of FIG. 1 including a molded plastic backingpanel having a plurality of adjacent arcuate raised portions and aneedle holding panel for securing the needles;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 13--13 of FIG.12 illustrating retention of the needles within needle receiving slotsdefined by the adjacent raised portions;

FIG. 14 is a frontal plan view of an alternative embodiment of thesuture package of FIG. 1 including a molded plastic backing panel havinga plurality of adjacent arcuate raised portions with peripheral lipportions for securing the needles; and

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 15--15 of FIG.14 illustrating retention of the needles within needle receiving slotsdefined by the adjacent raised portion and peripheral lip portions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, there is illustrated the suture package 100constructed in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 1 illustratesthe package 100 in an assembled condition. FIG. 2 is a plan view of ablank sheet 102 of package 100 defining a row of panel members foldablyconnected to each other and adapted to fold onto each other to formsuture compartments. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a backing panel 104 ofsuture package 100. When the blank sheet 102 is folded to form thesuture compartments and securely positioned on the backing panel 104,the suture package will appear as shown in FIG. 1.

Referring once again to FIG. 2, the blank sheet 102 is illustrated andincludes a row of separate and individual generally rectangular panels106, 108, 110, 112, 114 and 116 connected to each other along respectivetransverse sides as shown. Panels 106-116 are adapted to fold onto eachother in the manner shown in FIG. 4 to form a plurality of superposedsuture compartments. Each compartment is dimensioned to retain at leastone suture in a coiled configuration.

Panels 106, 108, 110, 112 and 114 include circular apertures 106a, 108a,110a, 112a and 114a, respectively. Apertures 106a-114a serve as sutureloading ports to provide access to the suture compartments formed by thefolded blank sheet 102 and to assist in loading the compartments withsutures. The apertures 106a-114a share a common central axis to providethe concentric arrangement shown in FIG. 1. In a preferred embodiment,the diameters of the apertures incrementally decrease from panel 106 topanel 114, the importance of which will be appreciated from thedescription below.

As shown in FIG. - taken in conjunction with FIG. 4, in the foldedcondition of blank sheet 102, five superposed suture compartments areformed between adjacent panel members. The front most compartmentdefined between folded panels 106, 108 has aperture 106a serving as itssuture loading port. The next adjacent or second compartment formedbetween panels 108, 110 has aperture 108a as its suture loading port.The third compartment defined by panels 110, 112 has aperture 110a asits suture loading port while the fourth compartment has aperture 112aas the loading port. The rear most compartment defined between panels114, 116 has aperture 114a as its suture loading port. As shown in theFIGS., the concentric arrangement of apertures 106a-114a and therespective dimensioning of the apertures, i.e., the incremental decreasein the diameters of the suture ports 106a-114a going from the front ofthe folded sheet 102 to the rear of the folded sheet 102, permit eachsuture compartment to be readily accessed from the front side of thepackage. Accordingly, each compartment may be loaded by inserting asuture in the front side of the package, positioning the suture withinthe desired loathing aperture corresponding to the targeted suturecompartment and feeding the suture, either manually or by automation,into the respective suture compartment such that the suture assumes acoiled configuration within the compartment and is enclosed within thesuture panels defining the compartment. The preferred loading sequencewill be described in greater detail hereinbelow.

Referring again to FIG. 2, an aperture panel 118 is foldably attached toa lower edge of panel 106. Aperture panel 118 folds onto panel 106 whensheet 102 is in the folded condition to cover the panel apertures andenclose the loaded sutures. Panel 116 of sheet 102 includes four slits120 disposed on the peripheral edges thereof. Slits 120 assist insecuring backing panel 104 to folded sheet 102 to form the suturepackage shown in FIG. 1. Clearly, one skilled in the art can deviseother methods to secure backing panel 104 to sheet 102 and the presentinvention is not limited to the detailed embodiments discussed herein.

Sheet 102 may be fabricated from paperboard, fiberboard or any otherfibrous material such as Tyvek® (available from Du Pont). Sheet 102 ispreferably die cut to form the series of interconnected panels andapertures.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in conjunction with FIG. 1, backing panel 104is preferably formed from a single sheet of suitable material, e.g.,stiff paper or paperboard, plastics, laminates and the like which is diecut to provide the desired configuration. A preferred material forbacking panel 104 is 0.005 lb. Monadnock paper available from MonadnockPaper Mills, Inc., Bennington, NH. Backing panel 104 includes fiveseries of sinusoidal cuts 122 formed in an upper portion of the panel.Sinusoidal cuts 122 define alternating tabs 124 which are respectivelypositioned to be lifted so as to receive and retain curved sutureneedles A (FIG. 1). Each end of a sinusoidal cut terminates in anarcuate slit portion 126 (FIG. 3). Arcuate slit portions 126 permitrelaxation of the material defining the sinusoidal cuts to moreeffectively accommodate the loaded needles A and to reduce the stressplaced on the material.

Backing panel 104 includes a lateral perforated score line 128 (FIG. 3)disposed beneath the sinusoidal cuts 122. Score line 128 permits theupper needle retaining portion of the backing panel 104 to fold backupon itself to facilitate removal of needles A. A needle protecting flap130 is connected to the upper portion of backing panel 104 along scoreline 132. Protecting flap 130 folds along score line 132 to cover andprotect the needles retained within the series of sinusoidal cuts 122.An arcuate locking tab 134 is disposed along the upper edge ofprotecting flap 130. Locking tab 134 engages an upper edge of one of thepanel members of sheet 102 to retain protecting flap 130 in the foldedcondition as best shown in FIG. 7.

Referring again to FIG. 3, backing panel 104 includes four tabs 136 ofgenerally arcuate shape positioned at respective corners of the panel.Tabs 136 are dimensioned to be received within correspondinglypositioned and dimensioned slots 120 (FIG. 2) formed in panel 116 ofsheet 102 to secure the backing panel 104 to the folded sheet 102. FIG.8 illustrates the corresponding engagement of tabs 136 of backing panel104 and slits 120 of panel 116 in more detail.

Package 100 is intended to store a plurality of resilient filaments,i.e., sutures, in a generally coiled configuration. The package 100 isparticularly contemplated to accommodate sutures having resilientcharacteristics such as catgut, steel, polypropylene, polyester, Dacron™or the like. It is also to be appreciated that package 100 canaccommodate sutures fabricated from cotton, silk, linen and absorbablematerials such as polymers and copolymer of glycolic and lactic acids.Additionally, package 100 can be used to accommodate filaments otherthan sutures, i.e., strings for musical instruments, fishing lines, etc.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, a preferred procedure for loading sutures Bwith attached needles A within sheet 102 is illustrated. Sheet 102 isfolded in the manner shown in FIG. 4 to form five superposed suturecompartments with each compartment adapted to retain a flexible suturetherein in a coiled configuration. The panels 106-116 are preferablysecured in this folded superposed condition prior to positioning on thebacking panel. In a preferred embodiment, the superposed panels aresecured to each other along their respective peripheries at positions"S" (FIG. 1) by, e.g., sonic welding. Other alternate methods forsecuring the superposed panels to each other may be readily determinedby one skilled in the art such as with the use of adhesives or the like.Once the folded panels of sheet 102 are secured, the sheet is positionedonto backing panel 104 and secured to the backing panel 104 byrespective cooperation of the slits 120 of panel 116 and tabs 136 ofbacking panel 104 (see Fig. 8).

Referring to FIG. 5, a surgical needle "A" having an attached suture Bis directed through the front side of the package and positioned underaperture 114a as shown by the indicator arrow. Needle A is then directedthrough the rear most compartment towards the upper portion of backingpanel 104 where it is positioned beneath the first (lowest most) series122a of alternating cuts 122 to secure needle A to the backing panel104. Once needle A is secured to backing panel 104, suture B can be fed,either manually or by automation, into the suture compartment definedbetween panels 114, 116 in a manner such that the suture assumes acoiled configuration within the filament compartment. One method offeeding the suture can comprise pressuring the suture into the retainerwhile rotating the retainer until the entire suture is disposed withinthe compartment. It is to be appreciated that the suture tends, underthe influence of its resilient qualities, to coil and expand radiallyoutwardly to the peripheral portion of the suture compartment.Accordingly, the suture B is retained in the outer peripheral portionsof the compartment.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the loading of package 100 is continued byinserting a second needle A with attached resilient suture B through thefront of package 100 and positioning the needle A within aperture 112aas shown by the indicator arrow. Needle A is then directed to the upperportion of backing panel 104 where it is positioned beneath the next setof arcuate tabs 122b of the backing panel. Thereafter, suture B attachedto the second needle A is fed into the individual suture compartmentdefined between panels 112, 114 such that the suture assumes a coiledconfiguration within the compartment and is fully loaded within thecompartment. The remaining needles A with attached resilient sutures Bare loaded within the series of needle retaining tabs 122 and remainingsuture compartments in the same manner. FIG. 1 depicts a fully loadedsuture package with needles A secured within the series of cuts and tabs122, 124. After loading, the sutures can be sterilized by ethyleneoxide, irradiation or other known sterilization methods.

In a preferred method of loading, each armed suture to be loaded can besequentially passed through their respective suture compartments andplaced in their respective retaining tabs. After all needles are inplace, all attached sutures B can be simultaneously pressured to assumea coiled configuration in their respective compartments.

In an alternative method of loading, each suture may be wound into atight coiled configuration and introduced within the appropriate loadingaperture whereupon release of the coiled sutures, the sutures, under theinfluence of their resilient properties, expand outwardly into theirrespective individual suture compartments. In accordance with thismethod, the needles A attached to the sutures B are secured to backingpanel after the suture is loaded with the individual suture compartment.

Referring still to FIG. 1, once all the needles and sutures are loadedwithin the package, aperture cover panel 118 is folded to coverapertures 106a-114a and needle protecting panel 130 of backing panel 104is folded onto the secured needles A. Panel 130 can be secured bypositioning Tab 134 beneath front panel member 106. FIG. 7 illustratespackage 100 in the completely secured condition. FIG. 9 is across-sectional view taken along lines 9--9 of FIG. 7 illustrating thesuture compartments with coiled sutures A loaded therein. While thepresent invention is shown with individual sutures in each compartment,the scope of the invention clearly includes loading of multiple sutureswithin each compartment.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-11, the package of the present invention isillustrated with an alternative needle park. Backing panel 104 of thisembodiment includes a foam needle park 140 which replaces the sinusoidalcut and tab arrangement of the embodiment of FIG. 1 for retaining theneedles. Foam needle park 140 includes lateral slits 142 with each slitadapted to accommodate and frictionally engage needles A positionedtherein as shown in the cross-section of FIG. 11. Needle protectingpanel 130 folds onto backing panel 104 to cover the secured needles Aand is retained in the secured position by engagement of locking tab 134with one of the panel members 104-116.

FIGS. 12-13 illustrate another alternative embodiment of the package ofthe present invention. Backing panel 150 of this package is preferablyformed of molded plastic and includes circular-shaped retaining members152 extending generally transversely relative to the plane defined bybacking panel 150 and integrally formed therewith. The retaining members152 are advantageously spaced to define needle receiving slots 154 toaccommodate the needles A. In particular, an individual needle A isplaced within each slot 154 defined between adjacent retaining members152 and is frictionally engaged by the retaining members 152 on each ofthe inner and outer curved surfaces of the needle. Retaining members 152may be deformable such that the retaining surfaces at least partiallyconform to the outer peripheral dimensions of the needle A. In analternative embodiment, retaining members 152 may be substantially rigidand may be dimensioned to engage the inner and outer curved surfaces ofthe needle at a single point on each needle surface. In accordance withthis alternative embodiment, the radius of each circular raised portionwould be significantly less than the radius of curvature defined by thesurgical needle.

Referring still to FIGS. 12-13, backing panel 150 further includes aperipheral rib 156 extending along portions of the upper edge and sideedge of the backing panel as shown. The lateral portion 156a of rib 156and the uppermost retaining member 152 adjacent the upper edge ofbacking panel 150 define a needle receiving slot to secure a surgicalneedle A as shown. Rib 156 also supports half needle protecting flap 158which is folded against the upper portion of backing panel 150 duringsecurement of the package. Half needle protecting flap 158 folds ontothe pointed ends of the needles A to assist in retaining the needles Awithin needle receiving slots 154 defined between retaining members 152.Thus, the combination of retaining members 152, peripheral rib portion156a and half needle protecting flap 158 secure the needles A to backingpanel 150. Needle protecting flap 158 is maintained in the closed foldedposition by insertion of tab 160 beneath the front most panel member. Analternative method for securing needle protecting flap 158 in the foldedclosed position is heat sealing the needle protecting flap alongperipheral rib 156.

Referring now to FIGS. 14-15 there is illustrated another alternativeembodiment of the suture package of the present invention. This packageis substantially similar to the package described in the embodiment ofFIGS. 12-13 and includes a molded plastic backing panel 170 havingtransverse retaining members 172. Retaining members 172 aresubstantially circular in cross-section and include circumferential lipportions 174 (FIG. 15) which overlap the needle receiving slots 176defined by the adjacent retaining members 172. Lip portions 174 engagethe surfaces of the needles A to retain the needles against backingpanel 170 and within the needle receiving slots. Peripheral rib 178extends along the length of upper edge 180 and partially along sideedges 182. The transverse portion of peripheral rib 178 and theuppermost retaining member 172 define a needle receiving slot foraccommodating a needle A. Needle protecting flap 184 is adapted to foldover to enclose the secured needles A.

To the extent not already indicated, it also will be understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that any one of the various specificembodiments herein described and illustrated may be further modified toincorporate features shown in the other specific embodiments. Forexample, while armed sutures have been utilized to describe the presentinvention, the present invention can be used to retain unarmed resilientfilaments, wherein one end of the filament can optionally be placed inthe aforedescribed "needle park." Furthermore, while the presentinvention has primarily been described in conjunction with surgicalsutures, the package can also be used to accommodate other resilientfilaments such as strings for musical instruments. Guitar strings, forexample, can be loaded into a retainer having six compartments, one eachfor the E (low), A, D, G, B, and E (high) strings.

The invention in its broader aspects therefor is not limited to thespecific embodiments herein shown and described but departures may bemade therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims withoutdeparting from the principles of the invention and without sacrificingits chief advantages. For example, while the present invention has beendescribed in terms of filaments, the invention clearly includespackaging multifilament strands and/or sutures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A suture package which comprises at least foursuture panel members foldably connected to each other along transversesides thereof and arranged to fold upon each other to form at leastthree superposed suture compartments defined between pairs of adjacentpanel members, each said suture compartment dimensioned to contain atleast one suture portion therein and having a forward panel member and arear panel member, each said forward panel member having an apertureformed therein, said apertures being in general concentric alignmentwith each other such that each said suture compartment may be accessedfrom a front side of the suture package when said at least four suturepanel members are in a folded condition, said apertures generallyincrementally decreasing in dimension from a front most suturecompartment to a rearmost suture compartment to facilitate loading ofthe sutures within said suture compartments.
 2. The suture packageaccording to claim 1, further comprising an aperture overlying panelmember foldably connected to a lower edge of one of said suture panelmembers, said aperture panel member adapted to fold onto said front mostsuture compartment to substantially cover said apertures.
 3. The suturepackage according to claim 1, further comprising means associated withone of said panel members for releasably retaining surgical needles. 4.The suture package according to claim 1, further comprising means forclosing said superposed suture compartments along peripheral areasthereof to substantially enclose flexible resilient sutures within saidsuture compartments.
 5. The suture package according to claim 4, whereinsaid suture compartment closing means comprises sonic welding.
 6. Thesuture package according to claim 4, wherein said suture compartmentclosing means comprises an adhesive.
 7. The suture package according toclaim 1, wherein said suture panel members includes sufficient panelmembers to form five said superposed suture compartments.
 8. A methodfor loading surgical sutures into a retainer package, comprising thesteps of:a) providing at least four suture panel members foldablyconnected to each other along transverse sides thereof and arranged tofold upon each other to form at least three superposed suturecompartments defined between pairs of adjacent panel members, each saidsuture compartment having an aperture formed in a forward panel thereof,said apertures of said suture compartments in general alignment witheach other such that each said suture compartment may be accessed from afront side of a retainer package when said at least four suture panelmembers are in a folded condition, said apertures incrementallydecreasing in dimension from a front most suture compartment to a rearmost suture compartment to facilitate loading of the sutures within saidsuture compartments; b) folding said suture panel members to form saidat least three superposed suture compartments; c) introducing from thefront side of the retainer package at least one suture portion into onesaid aperture formed in one said forward panel member of one said suturecompartment; d) feeding the at least one suture portion into said onesuture compartment through said one aperture to load said one suturecompartment with the at least one suture portion; and e) repeating steps(c-d) to load each said at least three suture compartments with at leastone suture portion.
 9. A package for resilient filaments comprising:atleast four panel members foldably connected to each other alongtransverse sides thereof and arranged to fold upon each other to form atleast three superposed compartments defined between pairs of adjacentpanel members, each said compartment having a forward panel member and arear panel member, each said forward panel member having an apertureformed therein, said apertures being in general concentric alignmentwith each other such that each said compartment may be accessed from afront side of the retainer package when said panel members are in afolded condition, said apertures generally decreasing in dimension froma front most suture compartment to a rearmost suture compartment tofacilitate loading of the sutures within said suture compartments; andat least one flexible resilient filament disposed within each saidcompartment, wherein each filament in each compartment is separate anddistinct from a filament in another compartment.
 10. The packageaccording to claim 9, wherein the at least one filament is amultifilament strand.
 11. The package according to claim 9, wherein theat least one filament is a surgical suture.
 12. The package according toclaim 11, wherein the at least one surgical suture is a monofilamentsuture.
 13. The package according to claim 11, wherein the at least onesurgical suture is a multifilament suture.
 14. The package according toclaim 9, wherein the package and filament are in a sterile condition.15. A needle park for securing a plurality of surgical needlescomprising a molded panel member including a plurality of raisedportions extending therefrom, each of the raised portions defining agenerally circular cross-section, adjacent raised portions defining aneedle retaining slot therebetween for accommodating a surgical needle,wherein a surgical needle positioned within the needle retaining slot isretained therein by engagement of respective raised portions with thesurgical needle, the molded panel member further comprising a peripheralrib extending at least partially along an upper edge thereof, theperipheral rib and an uppermost raised portion defining a needlereceiving slot therebetween to accommodate a curved surgical needle, andat least a partial needle protecting flap foldably connected to an upperedge of the molded panel member, the at least partial needle protectingflap foldable onto the molded panel member to cover at least pointed endportions of the needles.